Olivia Dean facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Olivia Dean
Dean at BST Hyde Park in 2025
Born	Olivia Lauryn Dean (1999-03-14) 14 March 1999 (age 26) Haringey, London, England
Education	BRIT School
Occupation	Singer songwriter
Years active	2014–present
Relatives	Ashley Walters (cousin)
Musical career
Origin	Highams Park, London, England
Genres	Pop R&B soul neo-soul
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Labels	AMF EMI Capitol Polydor
Signature

Olivia Lauryn Dean (born March 14, 1999) is a talented British singer and songwriter. She has released two studio albums, Messy (2023) and The Art of Loving (2025). She also has two live albums and five shorter music collections called EPs. Olivia Dean has won a Grammy Award and has been nominated for many other awards, including eight Brit Awards and the Mercury Prize.

In April 2021, Amazon Music recognized Olivia as their Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Later, in November 2023, BBC Music Introducing named her their Artist of the Year. Her 2025 song "Man I Need" became a number one hit in the UK singles chart. Along with other songs like "Nice to Each Other", "So Easy (To Fall in Love)", and "Rein Me In", she made history as the first female solo artist to have four songs in the UK Top 10 at the same time. At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in 2026, Olivia Dean won the award for Best New Artist.

Early Life and Education

Olivia Lauryn Dean was born on March 14, 1999, in the Haringey area of London. Her mother has Jamaican and Guyanese heritage, and her father is English. Her maternal grandmother moved to the UK from Guyana when she was 18, as part of the Windrush generation. Olivia's middle name, "Lauryn," was chosen because her mother admired the singer Lauryn Hill. Olivia also has a younger brother. The actor Ashley Walters, who was part of the group So Solid Crew, is her cousin.

Olivia grew up in Highams Park. She sometimes felt different because she is mixed-race. Her father loved music, and they often danced together in the kitchen. Her mother, who is a lawyer, introduced her to artists like Jill Scott, Angie Stone, and Lauryn Hill. Her father shared music by Carole King and Al Green. One of her first CDs was a song called "A Moment Like This" by Leona Lewis.

When she was in primary school, Olivia sang "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie in a competition. She was very shy and cried while singing, but she still won second place! By age 8, she knew she wanted to be a singer, even though she was quite nervous. Her mother encouraged her to take musical theatre lessons on Saturdays and join a gospel choir.

At 15, Olivia was accepted into the BRIT School. This is a special performing arts school in Croydon that is free to attend. She traveled almost two hours each way to get there, often falling asleep on the journey. In 2020, she said that going to BRIT School was "the best thing I ever did." She first studied musical theatre but switched to songwriting for her last two years. She even convinced her mother to buy her a used piano. Her passion for songwriting and performing truly began at 17. A teacher showed a video of Paul Simon singing "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" with a South African group. This moment "just sparked something" in her. At BRIT School, she became good friends with classmates Rachel Chinouriri and Raye.

Music Career Highlights

Early Music Journey and First Album Messy (2017–2024)

Olivia started writing songs when she was 16. She taught herself to play the guitar and piano. At 17, she performed on the streets of South Bank, earning just enough money for dinner.

She performed at her high school graduation concert. There, Emily Braham from Yo&Co noticed her and became her manager. Emily helped Olivia audition for the band Rudimental, where Olivia became a backing vocalist. Olivia admitted she wasn't great at it because she often sang the main tune instead of the harmonies. In 2017, Olivia performed her first big show at the Sziget Festival in Hungary, in front of 16,000 people.

In August 2018, after the singer Aretha Franklin passed away, Olivia posted a cover version of Franklin's song "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" on YouTube. She said it was her favorite song ever.

In October 2018, Olivia self-released her first song, "Reason to Stay." She was also featured on Rudimental's song "Adrenaline" in January 2019. In October 2019, she released "Password Change." After "Reason to Stay" was streamed millions of times, she signed a recording contract with AMF Records and Virgin EMI Records. In November 2019, she released the song "OK Love You Bye" and her first EP, also called OK Love You Bye. This EP had four songs and was recorded in a converted pub in East London. That year, BBC Introducing London chose her as their Featured Artist of the Week. She also performed at a BBC Introducing show.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Olivia moved back in with her parents in Walthamstow. She focused on connecting with fans through social media. She worked with Eg White on songs like "Crosswords" and "What Am I Going To Do On Sundays."

In August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Olivia went on a special "From Me to You" tour. Sponsored by Clarks, she traveled around the UK in a bright yellow truck. The truck had her name, a daisy, and a Black Lives Matter logo painted on it. She gave outdoor performances to fans and people passing by. Some shows had only a few attendees.

Her second EP, What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?, came out in December 2020.

Dean at New Pop Festival 2023

In April 2021, Amazon Music named her the breakthrough artist of the year. That month, she performed at The Jazz Cafe. This was her first show after the COVID-19 lockdowns. A video of this performance became very popular online.

In July 2021, she released another EP called Growth.

In August 2021, Olivia performed six shows in southern England. These were part of the Revive Live Tour. This tour helped bring live music back to venues after the pandemic.

In November 2021, Olivia recorded a version of Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" for Amazon. It reached number 19 on the UK singles chart.

In May 2023, she performed at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. She also made her first TV appearance, singing "Dive" on Later... with Jools Holland. In June 2023, she released her first full album, Messy. This album was nominated for a Mercury Prize.

In November 2023, Olivia was chosen as BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year.

Olivia performed at Glastonbury Festival 2024. Performing there had been a dream of hers since childhood.

In June 2024, she released the song "Time." She also released a cover of The Supremes's "You Can't Hurry Love" in October 2024. In November, she released another song called "Touching Toes."

The Art of Loving and Big Success (2025–Present)

Dean at BST Hyde Park in 2025

In February 2025, Olivia released the song "It Isn't Perfect But It Might Be" for the film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. Also in February 2025, Olivia performed on all six dates of Laneway Festival. These shows in Australia and New Zealand were her first performances there.

Olivia supported singer Sam Fender on some of his "People Watching Tour" dates in June and August 2025. This included shows at London Stadium and St James' Park. They also worked together on a duet version of "Rein Me In", released in June. Olivia performed a surprise show at Glastonbury Festival 2025.

Her second album, The Art of Loving, was released in September 2025. The album featured songs like "Nice to Each Other", "Lady Lady", "So Easy (To Fall in Love)", "A Couple Minutes", and "Man I Need". All these songs became popular. "Man I Need" reached number 1 on the UK singles chart. It also reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the Billboard Global 200. Olivia became the first female solo artist to have four songs in the Top 10 of the UK singles chart at the same time.

On November 16, 2025, Olivia Dean was the musical guest on the TV show Saturday Night Live.

In November 2025, Olivia spoke out about how ticket selling companies like Ticketmaster allowed tickets for her "The Art of Loving Live" tour to be resold at very high prices. She called this a "disgusting service" and said the resale market was "exploitative and unregulated." Because of her comments, Ticketmaster and AXS put limits on how much resale tickets could cost for her tour. They also gave refunds to fans who had paid too much. Olivia was happy, saying she was excited to see "real people" at her shows.

In January 2026, she performed "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" on The Graham Norton Show.

Artistry and Influences

Olivia Dean has mentioned several famous artists who inspire her music. These include Amy Winehouse, Carole King, Lauryn Hill, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon and the Supremes. Her songs are known for being both sad heartbreak ballads and uplifting self-love anthems that people can sing along to.

Personal Life

Olivia has been in a relationship with American drummer Eddie Burns since April 2025. He is a member of the band Clairo. In July 2025, they attended the Wimbledon Championships together.

Olivia is a brand ambassador for Chanel. She also leads an advertising campaign for Burberry Her fragrance.

Olivia is a big fan of the West Ham United F.C. football team. She went to many games with her father when she was a child.

Olivia describes herself as a "very strong feminist." Until 2023, she only worked with female directors for her music videos. In 2020, her mother became a leader in the Women's Equality Party. This made her the first black deputy leader of a political party in Europe. In 2024, Olivia shared her thoughts on the 2024 United Kingdom general election. She said that after growing up with the same government for 14 years, it felt like "a time for change."

Filmography

Film Appearances

Television Appearances

Discography

Studio Albums

• Messy (2023)
• The Art of Loving (2025)

Tours

Headlining Tours

• From Me To You (2020)
• 2023 UK And Europe Headline Tour
• UK & Europe Messy Tour (2023)
• Across the Atlantic Tour (2025)
• The Art of Loving Live (2026)

Opening Act Tours

• Jordan Rakei – What We Call Life Tour
• Sam Fender – People Watching Tour (2024)
• Sabrina Carpenter – Short n' Sweet Tour (2025)

Awards and Nominations

Olivia Dean has received many awards and nominations for her music.

See also

In Spanish: Olivia Dean (cantante) para niños

• List of British Grammy winners and nominees